


High School Scandal: ~The Origins of Jace and Hunt~

by miiworld2



Category: Original Work
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Teenage Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 15:58:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12774450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miiworld2/pseuds/miiworld2
Summary: Madison High School. Many claim this high school is the worst in the country: incompetent teachers, bad cafeteria lunches... but none of them are as bad as the ones running the school: student council, sports teams, decathlon groups... all believe they have the power to drive each other to the brink of despair with terror and blood. Enter Hunter Long. 16-year old Japanese-American who open up a small crisis management club composed of eccentric video-game loving nerds like him. He and his team are tasked in helping students clean up their scandalous lives, from simple misdemeanors like cheating on an exam to major ones like sports-enhancing drugs and student/teacher affairs. ...but none of them can prepare Hunt for this major task. One that involves a brand-new student to the school: Italian bad boy Jacen Riders. This newcomer not only ends up being the most popular kid in school--rivaling the school's quarterback and Hunt's enemy Colton Hayes--but he also seems to know Hunt very well. Like since they were kids. But underneath that cool exterior, Jace harbors many shady secrets, including one that revisits a 5-year old school shooting at their very school ground. And Hunt could end up be at the very center of them all.





	1. Prologue - 5 Years Ago...

**Author's Note:**

> Experience the beginning of the adventures of Jace and Hunt, before their adventures in the **"NX Worlds' Super Smash Bros. 3D and Super Smash Bros. HD"** on **_FanFiction.Net_**. Just when you think their adventures in these fanfics were more lighthearted and comical, their original tale that started it all involve secrets, lies, crimes, and dark mysteries.

Prologue – 5 Years Ago

xXx

The boy glanced across the cafeteria. Typical Thursday lunch breaks were always full, but today in particular students kept pouring in the massive dining halls. Thursdays were always a Pizza Day. And today was every students' favorite: Hawaiian-style with barbecue.

So the students had to get the best piece. And luckily for the boy, he had not only the best but the biggest slice.

He quietly took another bite out of his pizza and returned to his book: Great Expectations. It's been his favorite since he was a child and he bought himself a copy as a reward for getting an A+ in Physics, Chemistry and Trigonometry. 

Yes, the kid was very smart, but he didn't wanted to show it, or boast about it. He knew he had talents that could take him places. But he always had trouble making friends. Most of the friends he grew up knowing either became distant or had to move out. And most of the newest were either complete jerks, backstabbers, or just plain old bullies. One spread a mean gossip about his dad, another one got him in trouble by making him visit a porn site on campus, and one got him in detention just by being mean. It used to bother him. It used to bother him a lot.

But somehow the kid has moved on and chose to deal with his problem dead-on in the best possible manner. First plan of action was to be alone. 

Like a dead corpse.

He enjoyed being alone, especially with his book. Because he wouldn't be bothered by anyone else unless they really were interested to talk.

Just when he thought that, a group of kids in baggy pants and DVS shoes filled the once empty table. One boy, maybe same age, maybe earlier than that, looked directly at a bookbag sitting at the table before him and the kid as he was taking his seat. 

"Whose bag is this?" he pointed.

The kid politely raised a finger, "Mine." he said quietly.

The boy glowered back at him. "You're gay!" he exclaimed.

The kid stopped eating to stare back. The entire table was still. None was even bothered by that comment. 

The kid knew one thing: this boy was a bully. He dropped the pizza on the plate and snagged a napkin next to him to smear the grease off his fingers, "I don't know what you mean by that word?" he mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, I'm not gay huh." the bully said, "If that's what you were trying to say. I'm not gay."

“Okay so, what does that mean?”  
“Lol! Come on. You don’t know the meaning of gay?” The boy shook his head as the bully laughed, “Come on man. Look it up.” He and his friends laughed along.

“Yeah… I’ll look it up if you actually tell me what it means?” the boy brought a smirk on his face, “Is it a funny word?”

The bullies stared at each other then back at the boy, “Err… yeah. You could say it like that.”

“But what does it mean?”

The bullies hesitated, slowly going through their brain to find a funny word that would… maybe fit the keyword. The boy’s smile lowered, “Come on, I want to laugh too.” He paused, “Or is it not a funny word. Is it an insult?”

“Okay it’s an insult.” The bully’s companion quickly replied. The bully himself laughed. But his laugh sounded dry and almost nervous.

The boy nodded understandably. The bully finally admits the word was vulgar. He admitted saying it as an attack to the young man’s physical scrawny appearance. But now the boy had him. He had his target. Right under his fingers. It was time to set his plan in motion.

He grabbed his bookbag, put it back on the table and ruffled through his books, notepads, pencil pouches, and all other necessities. The bully watched; he still had his brave face on, but for some reason his heart was pounding, like he was expecting something bad to happen. But his brain told him, he was only a scrawny boy. What kind of unspeakable thing will he do to a tough guy like him.

“What are you doing?” he asked. It didn’t hurt to ask anyway, “What are you looking f—!”

The bully froze, the words fading in his throat. A surge of sheer fear he never felt before coursed through his veins, as he gazed at the object the young boy has pulled out of his bag: an MP9 automatic pistol!  
The young boy caressed the weapon’s metal skin before his cold calm eyes met the bully, “Oh, what I’m looking for was this one.” He pointed the weapon, “isn’t she a beaut? I call her Trucida. Derives from the Latin word Trucido, which means to kill cruelly.” A smile—a rather icy, senile, full-of-control smile—spread on his face. “A massacre.”

The bully stood up from his chair. His comrades quickly walked away from the table. The boy stood up, fully armed with the pistol. All heads turned to the table and quickly that grim spine-chilling tension fell in the cafeteria.

“Would you like to see a demo, buddy?” the boy cocked the gun, aimed its muzzle at the bully’s comrade's chest. The comrade whizzed around to flee. The boy pushed the trigger. 

A shower of bullets pierced most of the bully’s upper and lower back, snapped off his spine and punctured the back of his head. The tall man fell into his own pool of blood, flat on his face. Everyone scattered out of the café, screaming. The bully quickly turned to his right, attempting his escape, but another shower of bullets met his side, torso and soon his forehead. The bully left the floor and his body sped like a speeding train till he slammed on a wall. Blood soaked his clothes and clouded his visions as he slipped to the ground, dead.

xXx


	2. First Meet

xXx

-Brooklyn, NYC-  
-At this hour of the day, if you ever saw me walking down the street, 99% of you would walk the other direction, avoiding me like a plague because you don’t want an old scruffy man with wiry blond hair and a face the color of paper sand sporting a trenchcoat carrying the smell of a week-old tuna fish sandwich… coming up to you asking you for money, so that he can waste it on drugs.

Well, that’s half the truth. What’s not true is me being an old man (and a homeless, as it’s only a costume). 

I should probably introduced myself. My name is Hunter Long. I was born in Japan but raised in America at the age of eight when my family decided to move out of the rural oriental streets of Adachi into the Big Apple. But if you’re wondering why am I in Brooklyn right now, I should start from the beginning.

I have a secret. Remember when I told you that I’m not really an old man and a homeless? Well it’s all part of a plan for me to get some strong narcotics. And you’ll understand why.

Somewhere in an abandoned warehouse on the West Side of Brooklyn., I adjusted my sleeping bag, carefully placing a black electronic device I had “snagged” from an rich old lady, stood up, stretched out my back and slowly shuffled my feet toward two men creeping toward me. One was about my height, but rather bald with bulging eyes and weighing at 100 lbs. He had baggy jeans, old converse and a torn white shirt. I called him Mangs.

The second one was a fat guy with bushy beard covered with twigs and a used licorice gum. His eyes were narrow and shifty, always searching for evil. His stomach was not the stomach of an overweight person. Rather, an unhealthy one. He was the big boss and I called him Binge.

I finally got closed to the duo, “Got the stuffs?” I asked.

Binge smiled. His teeth was gunk. If the man ever brushed them, mud would be his toothpaste. “It’s all in my pocket.” He whispered, “Cocoa puffs, snow bomb, and Coca tea.”

“Aye, the good cheese!” Mangs hollered, like a restless hyena, “Aaaaall the good cheese. HeeheeheehaahaahaaHAA!” Mangs twitched and coughed. 

I frowned. Mangs was like the little brother of Kramer from Seinfeld. Only except retarded, always twitching, talking gibberish and weird. But that hyena laugh though.

“Take your pick.” Binge slowly opened his trenchcoat.

I wiggled my finger toward it.

“Haa-ah!” Binge quickly closed his trenchcoat, hiding the stuffs, “Where’s my money?”

Mangs rubbed the tips of his fingers together. I stood there, hand frozen as if I got hit by an invisible Pause button. Finally I dropped my arms, “C’mon Binge. Told you I’d pay you t’morrow. Gon’ get my money at homeless shelter then.”

“Yea that’s what you said last week.” Mangs said.

“And then the week before that.” Binge said.

“And then two months later.” Mangs added.

“Well we tir’ of waitin’.” Binge barked.

Mangs raised his shirt a bit and I noticed something black sticking out of his crotch area. A 9mm Beretta. I froze.

“Pay up now.”

I stuttered, eyeballing the gun, then turned to Mangs. “Okay, so uh… you have a gun…”

Mangs nodded. This was supposed to be a simple transaction. And now it was turning bad really fast. 

I moved my back behind and slowly pulled out of my back pocket a pager. Yeah I know, teens these days don’t carry pagers but they prove useful in situations like this. I pressed it and slipped it back into my pocket. “…and you don’t have money to eat?” I shook my head, “Seriously stupid people like you need to value money and not buy unnecessary things like guns and drugs and…” I gulped, “you should buy medicine and foo—” 

Mangs drew the pistol off his pants. “Okay, okay! Chill!” I said, “Just making convos.”

Mangs raised his chin, his gun tightening in his grip. Binge crossed his arms.

“I’ll get yo money.” I said. 

“Where is it?” Mangs said.

“It’s…”

“Hey what’s going on my boy?” a voice caught our attention, and I let out a heavy breath of relief. Just in the nick of time came my best friend Cameron—my only friend in the world. He too was a homeless person (not really. Also a disguise.) He had dark black beard and wore a worn-out varsity jacket which was actually an old jacket that his mom accidentally put on the washer with the whites and bleached it, so it had bleach stain around the stomach area. He wore white pants with paint stains on it.

He approached me and whispered, “You’re lucky I didn’t wear my Zanottis. I would’ve killed you for it.”  
I looked at his feet and noticed Timberland boots instead. “Thank your stars that didn’t happen.” I whispered.

“Who the hell are you?” barked Mangs.

“ ‘Sup, I’m Cam. What’s good?”

“You with this dope?” Binge asked.

“I’m offended.” I said.

“Yeah, what’s the deal?” Cameron asked.

“He refuse to pay the merch.”

“That’s because I have it.” Cam pulled out of his pocket a rolled out tube of cash. “$500 for a three months supply of Vicodin.”

“Toss it.” Mangs said.

Cameron tossed the money. Binge caught it midair then mentioned Mangs to stay down. Mangs lowered his gun and stepped before Binge to count the cash.

“Where’s the merch?” Cameron asked.

Binge nudged his head toward his sleeping bag couple of steps above the rim of the bridge, “Under the pillow. One month supply. You will get the remainder two months when…” Binge paused, counting the money furiously. Something was wrong.

“What boss?”

“The money…” Binge barked, “It’s fake! We’ve been given an exchange of merchandise with counterfeit money!”

Mangs pulled out his gun on Cam and I. “You two are in for a--”

Next thing we knew we heard sirens. The two homeless guys froze, turned around and saw flashing red and blue light filling a corner of the street. Then in a second, three police patrols and a SWAT team truck swerved into view and sped toward them.

The two homeless guys were ready to run, but then they saw another swarm of squad police cars coming toward them full-force from the other direction.

“Uh-oh.” Binge gulped.

“What the hell is going…the police…” stuttered Mangs.

“Not just the police.” I said, “The FBI.”

“Wuh…?”

“Say hi to the camera!” I cooed, filming the encounter.

“What are you doing?” Mangs barked.

“Easy.” I said, “We’re filming. We’re a small group of misfits on a mission to get rid of drugs on the streets. And the cleanup crew is the police.”

Cameron pulled a business card from out of his pocket and tossed it to them, “Here. Go to that website on the card. You’re about to be famous on YouTube.”

 

xXx

-Madison High School, New York City, 2008-

Cameron and I couldn’t stop laughing at that last stint we pulled downtown. There are people who posts viral stunts and pranks videos on YouTube and get major deals on bragging rights or major deal on funeral arrangements depending on how stupidly dangerous they are. 

And there are people like Cameron and I, who posts videos of us catching bad kids doing bad stuffs and putting them on the other side of the law. Do we get major respect for it? Absolutely…

…not. Absolutely not. I wish we did but alas we don’t.

Our YouTube page only has 100 subscribers. And most of them are from family, Cam’s church friends, and distant relatives who think we are doing the city a huge favor. 

That’s not the case for our student body at our school of Madison High. The students there hated being treated as the bad kids and they were out to get me. But who’s to be blamed for this. Them for supporting two criminal gangs running Brooklyn: the Vegas, a Columbian drug underworld; and the African-American cocaine empire Elincios; who owns a glorious mansion in Brooklyn. 

Ever since the Vegas moved from the westside of L.A. to the Bronx of NYC, things have been horrible for the city in general it affected our school. Our school has been rated the worst school in the Brooklyn district, and almost every term this school gets featured on nightly news for either those gang-related crimes, burglaries, robberies, or some other crimes that involved the death of a student.

In fact, that is why I chose to run a crisis management club with Cameron. To fix our school and to make sure it’s a safe environment for all students and teachers alike. And our YouTube channel was part of it. Sadly it wasn’t catching on to our dreams, and the school got way more out of control then we ever thought.

And more dangerous.

Anyway, Cameron and I took our seat at the Madison HS cafeteria, reliving our latest stint. 

“Did you see the look on that Mangy guy’s face?” Cam said, “They almost came out of their sockets!”

“Was it before, or after he saw the cops coming in?” I asked.

“I think it was both.” Cam said, “But I’m pretty sure they almost got detached when the police slapped those cuffs on his wrist.”

I almost spilled milk off my nose. I quickly grabbed a tissue from my lunch plate and wiped my face.

“Careful dude!” Cam said, smiling.

Cameron and I were polar opposite. But despite that, we clicked and we talked about our interests a lot. I talked a lot about video gaming, while he showed more interests in sports. Fantasy football is what he defines as his own version of video gaming.

“Yo, I’m getting a new gaming console very soon!” I cheerfully shared, “You should come to my house and play it with me!”

Cam stopped smiling. His eyes turned to the floor, and he let out a big sigh.

“Hey,” I said to him, “What’s going on with you?”

“Ahh,” Cam scratched the back of his head. He would always do that when something was bothering him. “It’s nuttin’.”

“You’re doing that again.”

“Doin’ what?”

“That head scratching thing?”

“I ain’t doin’ that.” He scratched the back of his head again.

I narrowed my eyes. He finally noticed what he was doing with a pause. He dropped his hand down, “Fine.” He said in defeat, “You got me. Hunt, I—”

I felt something heavy strike my head hard enough it knocked me off to the floor, and I took my food tray down with me. The Mystery Meat juice spilled over me.

The crowd exploded with laughter. Cam was by my side as soon as it happened.

He looked up and growled at the person who did it. “DUDE!”

“Oops.” came a cocky laugh afterward. I knew that laugh. It was Colton Hayes. I rolled to a sitting position and saw him towering before me with his combed blond hair and chiseled built framed by his varsity jacket and red shirt. He was about 6’5”. Really tall. 

He bent toward me but not to give me that knock-out punch as he usually would give me back in 7th Grade. He grabbed the football rolling next to me.

“Sorry nerds. My fault.” he said, “Didn’t know I was crossing the sensitive side of the roadkill show.” he said, turning his eyes toward Cam. Cam helped me back on my feet and stood between me and Colton.

“At least you fully admitted to your fault,” Cam said to him, “Major props for victimizing yourself. Now how about you run along, back to the football field where you grew your weeds from, Derp?”

Ooooohs echoed in the cafeteria.

Colton frowned, “Derp? How about you check your grams before you start speaking to your supes?”

The crowd got excited.

I raised an eyebrow. Derp? Grams? Supes? The popular kids always talked like that.

Cam laughed out loud, “Says the guy who just called the word grammar, grams. And superior supes. I'll check my grammar once you're done comparing it to yours. Even people from other planets can write better English than you do. Shoot. Just talking to you is causing my brain to vomit out your intelligence.”

“Vomit out my intelli--” Colton trailed off as the crowd roared with excitement. He looked around, greatly offended. Everyone was itching for a fight. Colton REALLY wanted to give Cam a pummeling. But Cam was the coach’s son, so that made him untouchable.

Colton growled. He stepped closer to Cam till they were nose-to-nose, “At least you won’t be here long enough to protect your little bitch.” he then threw a threatening glance at me, “Mark my words.”

With that threat, Colton departed with his posse, pushing past Cam and Hunt with his heavy shoulder. The crowd groaned in disappointment and dispersed back to their usual stuffs.

“Hey, thanks again man!” I said to Cam and sat at the table, “I don’t know how I would deal with this jerk without you but... What did he mean by you not being here long?”

Cam sat back down across from me. “I just think you need to stick up for yourself.” he sounded almost sincere.

“What are you talking about? Your dad is the coach, no one can touch me with you as my shield... wish I could say the same for Nerdy Ned still eating his lunch at the faculties’ restroom.” I shook my head in shame.

“I guess you might have to share a table with Nerdy Ned anytime soon…” he sounded disappointed.

I cocked my head on one side, “What?”

Another moment of silence and Cam came clean with the mother of all bad news. 

“My mom got a job in Oregon. We’re… moving.”

As soon as he said that, the world turned black around me. I saw written above Cameron in cryptic letter the words “GAME OVER” and I heard a witch’s echoing laughter filled my ears.

The image quickly faded away from my subconscious. I didn’t move. How could I live without Cameron? I couldn’t even process this humiliation.

“Oh.” was all I could utter.

“I’m sorry Akira. I just…”

“Hunt.” I croaked. Cam always called me Akira--my old Japanese name--and I always corrected him. But what was the point anyway? He knew me before my family and I changed our names. Unfortunately so did my bullies.

“Right.” Cam sighed, “I really wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how you would react. And judging by your silence? Not really taking this well.”

I blew a raspberry and tossed my hand in dismissal, “Pfft! Dude I’m fine. It’s not like you’re dying.”

“No,” Cam lightly chuckled, “but our friendship is.”

I stopped smiling.

Cam raised his hands up in surrender, “Kidding!”

I rolled my eyes.

“But hey, you can survive high school without me right? Trust me on this. And your Crisis Management Club is going off to a great start. You got Felice and Marcel as your staff members and club members; the club is about to get featured on the 5 o’clock news thanks to that drug bust we just pulled…”

“But you’re leaving!” I barked, “You’re not gonna be here in the school! Everybody knows you and wants to be you! If they don’t follow Colton that is!”

Cameron put a hand over my shoulder, “You’ll be fine.” he said.

Easy for him to say. “Really? Then who’s gonna be my better shield while you’re gone? Who’s going to protect me from this mass of hate I get in this school? I can’t take on Colton the Brute and his henchmen all by myself!”

“You can still take them with your smarts. I mean, you took me down with your smarts.”

“Cam, please. YOU’RE nice. Colton makes the Undertaker look like a puppy.”

“Maybe someone else could take him on.” 

Next thing I knew the students were clamoring. Talking to one another and pointing toward me. No they were pointing toward someone behind me. Cam glanced over my shoulder and saw him too. I didn’t know what caught their attention until Cam said.

“…like the new guy over there.”

The new guy. Again.

Just this last week, a new student came to the school and everyone has been fawning over him ever since. His name was Jason Riders. He was badder than Colton Hayes and statistics showed that he was more likely to knock him out of his #1 spot of the Madison’s High School Top-10 Most Popular Students List. I won’t be surprised if that happens with the new guy.

But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

It’s my dream to be part of that list. Cam was #2 on the list, but because he chose to protect me from Colton, he got knocked down to #5. So he couldn’t help me get into that list even if he wanted to. And the new guy was already a threat to my dream.

I turned around to see him strut into the cafeteria like he owned the place. He sported a v-neck light-blue shirt and a white button-down shirt over it, had puka shell necklace and another necklace over it with a strange symbol, had spiky hair, ripped jeans, puma shoes, a blue backpack slung over one shoulder, bandanna on one wrist and diamond studs pierced in both earlobes. And get this, he was wearing sunglasses indoor! Who does that? 

Douche.

But something else dawned on me about Jason Riders. I couldn’t shake that feeling that I’ve seen him before. And I couldn’t help shake the feeling that he was different when I last saw him.

I snapped back to reality and I turned to Cameron, “You’re kidding me.” I said, “HIM?”

Cam nodded.

“Jason Riders?”

Cam hesitated, “I don’t think that’s how his name is spelled.” 

“Really? Then how do you spell it?”

“Like J-A-C-E-N? He was in my bio class this morning and he spelled it differently.”

“So he’s an illiterate huh? You know him?”

“I didn’t speak to him.” Cam admitted, “But every girl in this school wants to date him. And every guy wants to be him.”

“Including you?”

“Nah.” Cam said, reclining on his chair, “I’m perfectly comfortable with who I am. But I have to admit, I’m jealous of him.”

I shook my head, “And you think he’s gonna be my protector? No way in hell. He looks badder than Colton. I mean, look at him!” I pointed.

He leaned in toward me, “I’m just sayin’ man. Hypothetically speaking. It’s not like it’s actually gonna happen but,” He shrugged, “you never know. It’s funny how life works.”

“You know how life works? Colton beating the crap out of me, and him beating me up twice as hard as he.”

“Hey, ‘sup man?” spoke Jason. Or however his name was spelled as. Cam and I turned to him. Cam and he instantly fist-bumped.

“Yo, Jace!” he called him.

I frowned, “Jace?”

“You were in my bio class this mornin’ right?” Jason--or Jace--asked Cam.

“Yep.” Cam said, “Oh, and this is my friend Hunt!”

“Hey ‘Sup Hunt!” Jace offered a fist bump. But as super-nervous as I was, I didn’t fist bump him. I wrapped my hand over his fist and shook it like a handshake. “H-Hi…” I muttered, then I looked away, face completely flushed red.

“O-Kay.” 

“He’s just… shy.” Cam said.

“Hey, it’s cool man. Catch y’all later.” He walked away; while I peeked out, watching him disappearing. Like a shy boy incapable of proper social cues. Cam chortled. 

I straightened and faced Cam with a grumpy look, “Funny how life works?” I said, “Yeah. Like how life finds it funny to rip you away from me by having your entire family move to Oregon.”

“Dude, you should blame life for making you look brain-stupid in front of the new guy!” He laughed, “He came to talk to you! And he’s nothing like Colton.”

I crossed my arms, “You don’t know that.” 

“Well now you know ‘cause you blew it.”

I sighed. I wanted to change the subject. Back to Cam leaving the state. “So,” I hesitated, “when are you leaving?”

Cam stopped laughing. His smile soon vanished and there was another silent moment between us two.

“This Friday.”

My jaws dropped.

“Did I mention that it was hard for me to tell you this?”

xxx

One week later, I stood before the school’s bulletin board, staring at my crisis management club flyer. There was only one last ticket of it with our room number and my email address. I would’ve posted my FaceBook account but I was debating on whether I should do that or not. Thanks to Cam, the crisis management club was gonna be a hit.

But for how long? I feared it would be a one-hit wonder. Or a one-hit failure.

I let out a sad sigh, “So much for popularity.”

I turned around, about to head down my classroom when I saw a man in a black robe staring right at me. I frowned. “What the--”

The black robed man cocked his head on one side. A flood of terror overwhelmed my entire being. I turned around and walked the other direction.

That’s when my whole life changed.

As soon as I spun in place, I hit someone’s foot and fell hard on my shoulder. The person who tripped me also fell down.

“Damn it, already?” I cried out, wincing at the pain on my shoulder.

“You’re okay?” spoke a young guy.

“It’s not even 10 o’clock yet!” I snarled and went for the book bag I dropped.

“Here, let me help...”

Our hands went for the bag and they touched. I turned to the young man and my jaws dropped.

I was staring right at Jason Riders! Or Jacen Riders. I don’t know how to say his name all right?

I pulled back and gasped. Jace grabbed the book bag and handed it to me. I instantly snatched it from his hand.

“Sorry again man.” he said, got up and offered a hand, “Can I help you up?”

“I’M FINE!” I snapped.

“Okay...”

“I can’t trust you lots.” I snarled, “You’re all the same!”

Jace looked lost, “Uhhh, okay?”

I turned around and started walking really fast, away from Jace. As soon as I turned through a corner, my face slammed into a mountain of gym-like body. It was Colton Hayes! And his buddies were with him. I squeaked. “Eep!”

“Hello again, pipsqueak.” Colton chuckled.

I waved my fingers at him nervously, “H-Hiiii, Co-Colton.”

“Remember my promise to your friend Cam?”

As soon as he said it, he grabbed me off my feet and slammed me to a wall. The breath was knocked right out of me.

“I always keep my promise.” Colton said, “You’re MY little bitch now.”

I shut my eyes and looked away, waiting for the incessant beating.

“If you’re gonna beat this guy senseless, might I suggest something first?” spoke a voice. It was Jace again.

Colton turned to him, surprised but willing to listen. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

“Lose some weight would ya?”

Colton tilted his head on one side. “Huh?” he chuckled, “Come on you can’t be serious.”

“Oh I’m dead serious.” he said, “Because this is the requirement right here: in order to beat up a young kid half your size and carrying the weight of a broomstick.” he then looked at me, “No offense.”

“Uhh...” was all that came out of my mouth when I should have said “none taken.”

Jace went on, “You gotta get rid of all that abs and muscles. I mean come on man, you’re an embarrassment to all men out there.”

The thugs looked at each other and then back at Jace.

“Are you trying to tell Colton to take on someone his own size?”

“Finally,” Jace said, “someone understands a word that came out of my mouth. I’m not gonna repeat myself. Drop the kid, nice and slow, and I won’t hurt you.”

Hunt blinked in startled surprise. This guy was actually protecting him? HIM? Hunter Long was being protected by the new guy in school Jason Riders.

“How about I hurt the both of you?” he said then turned to his posse, “Chance and Price!”

Chance and Price pulled out police batons and rushed at Jace. Jace ducked under Chance’s swing at his baton and threw an elbow jab at the back of his neck. Chance dropped on the ground with a gasp. Jace then turned to block Price’s blow with his free arm, then twisted his arm to 180 degree, locking Price’s arm. Price let go of his baton with a gasp. Jace threw a low punch to Price’s stomach. Price coughed. But Jace wasn’t finished. He threw an uppercut and Price sprawled into the ground unconscious. 

Chance quickly got up and grabbed his baton. He charged toward Jace. Jace bent down to grab Price’s baton just as Chance swung for his opponent’s head and missed. Chance turned around only to get a baton swing across his face. A neck snapped filled Hunt’s ears as Chance dropped to the floor, knocked out.

Colton’s jaws dropped. And so was his grip on me. Next thing I knew I ended up back on the floor, and Colton went to grab his two unconscious friends and sprinted off.

“YOU WILL REGRET THIS!” he shouted.

Jace dropped the baton and approached me. He offered me a hand again. “You’re okay man?”

I looked at his hand, then looked back at him. His olive eyes showed mercy. Meaning that I could trust him. I took his hand this time, “...I’m fine... Thanks?”

Jace helped me up to my feet and smiled that cocky smirk I knew too much to be meant for troublemakers and bullies. But Jace’s smile was different. Bad boy with a charm, and apparently doesn’t tolerate bullies. I guess I misjudged him.

He crossed his arms, “Well what do you know? That’s the second time in our lives that I saved you from bullies.” 

“Second time?” I frowned, “Last time I checked this was your first time.”

“I beg to differ. Akira.”

I let out a growling sigh, “Why does everyone keep calling me Akee—” 

I paused. It didn’t dawn on me at first until I realized two things: he was the new guy in school. And only Cam, my family and the bullies knew me as my old name. But they would always butcher it by saying Akheelah. Jace however said it correctly, with a fluent Japanese accent! 

“wait, you didn’t say Akheelah. You said… Akira.”

“Yup!”

“And you said it in perfect Japanese.”

“Yup!”

“But when Cam introduced us last week, he called me Hunt and... not Akira.”

“Yup!”

“But then…” I stuttered, “Apart from my family, the only people who knew me by that name are Cameron, the bullies, and…”

“…getting warmer?”

“Michael from middle school?”

Jace slapped his forehead.

“No wait a minute.” I said, “You said you saved me the second time. But I distinctively remember someone else besides Cameron saving me from a bully. But that was way back in Kindergarten right? And his name was…”

“Don’t say it!”

“…Takashi Yashida?” 

I turned back to Jace who let out a sigh of defeat. 

My jaws dropped. “…and he hates that name just like you do!”

A strange silence felt between us two. Then a smirk passed over Jace’s lips and he raised a hand in surrender, “Guilty as charged.”

“Ohhhh my gossssh! Takashi?” I screamed, “I can’t believe this!” I screamed so much I couldn’t help it. Laughing out loud, I threw a big hug over Jace. Jace hugged back. We laughed out loud a lot. Jason Riders was my best friend Takashi Yashida from Kindergarten to 5th Grade! I couldn’t believe it! I prayed and prayed to God I wasn’t hallucinating again.

“It’s Jacen Riders now.” Jace corrected.

“Right.” I pulled away and straightened, “Jason. Sorry.”

“Jacen.” He corrected me, “C-E-N, instead of S-O-N at the end. It’s much cooler. Kind of like your... ...name... Hunt!” he hesitated because he saw my finger reaching toward the tip of his nose.

As soon as I touched it, I just lost it. He didn’t disappeared like a bad hallucination. He was real. I jumped up and down like a teenage girl meeting a pop idol in real life.

“Sheesh,” Jace laughed, “you’re hyped up on sugar or something? I’m happy to see you too!”

Hunt blushed, “Dude you have absolutely NO idea! I’ve looked everywhere for you since we came here. When we went our separate ways I was devastated, and now you’re... you’re... WOW! I can’t believe it’s you! You look…” I stared at him from head to toe, “…WOW! Man, last time I checked you were my clone with black spiky hair and skinny pants like Jonas brothers! Now you’re all cool-looking!”

“Thanks! And you are… …” Jace hesitated, “…still you.”

I nodded in agreement. “Thank you again. So much. For saving me from Colton Hayes and his posse.”

“Yeah no problem.” he turned to leave. No way I was gonna let him out of sight.

“You wanna hang...hang out during my uhh, free period?” I said. “See I have free period at the library once every Mondays and Thursdays and uhh...” my throat was drying up. I started scratching the back of my head like Cam did. “W-well...”

“How about this?” Jace said, “You spell my name correctly, and I promise I won’t leave your sight.”

If this was the holiday season, my eyes would be the lights of a Christmas tree.

“Jacen!” I shouted like a boot camp recruit, “J-A-C-E-N! Jacen!”

Jace smiled, “Then we’re officially friends for life.”

I pumped my fist in the air and the two of us clasped hands together.


End file.
